The best kind of TV hooks you in from the very beginning. There's something magical about a show's first season, whether the initial concept, the great acting or even the beauty of its production design. It introduces audiences to their complex story world and can even build enough intrigue to ensure the story's continuation.
Where this list doesn't negate the excellence of a show's subsequent seasons, Redditors have discussed which shows truly shone in their early days. Not all of them go downhill after their first season; from dramas like Stranger Things to sitcoms like Arrested Development, some introductory seasons are simply top-tier TV.
1 'Westworld' (2016-2022)
Somewhere in the near future, Westworld invites all who can afford it to enter their unconventional "amusement park" filled with robotic hosts. Visitors can live out their deepest fantasies no matter how illicit they may be. It's a world without consequence — or so it may seem.
As a show with a large ensemble, an incredibly intricate narrative, and intense existential concepts — Westworld's first season did an incredible job of welding everything together. It was so groundbreaking that fans like u/DrYoda exclaimed how they "wouldn't have been upset if they chose never to continue the series after [Season 1]." Very high praise indeed.
2 'Veronica Mars' (2004-2019)
Veronica Mars (Kristen Bell) is a high-school student and private investigator. Where the first season sees her solving various mysteries, Veronica's priorities lie in solving the murder of her best friend, Lily (Amanda Seyfried).
As a fan-fave, week-by-week mystery show, Veronica Mars enticed its teen demographic by brilliantly balancing the classic high-school drama with its neo-noir elements of the investigations and crimes. This was especially clear for the first season, as explained by u/pondandbucket, as the show was able to keep the "season-long mystery arc compelling" while making sure the individual episodic crimes "were able to stand by themselves." For many fans, including them, the next few seasons just "couldn't quite match" the magic of the first.
3 'Stranger Things' (2016-)
After 12-year-old Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) suddenly goes missing, his family, friends, and other members of small-town Hawkins go on a mission to find him. But things become more complicated as this case introduces them to a world of dark alternate dimensions, secret human experimentation, and one strange girl with strange powers.
Where season four became an explosive hit that left fans making bold predictions for Season 5, no one can deny the phenomenon that was Season 1. The performances, the writing, the way the mysterious world of the Upside Down was beautifully set up — it was all great. For a deleted user, the first season felt like the best season as "almost every minute didn't feel wasted." All narrative points were purposeful, unlike other seasons, where the pacing "seemed to be all over the place."
4 'Lost' (2004-2010)
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A commercial plane flying between Sydney and Los Angeles suddenly crashes on a seemingly remote island. As the survivors band together to find ways to stay alive, they slowly uncover mysterious secrets about the island they're trapped on.
When Lost first graced television screens, it quickly made a name for itself as it became one of the most iconic sci-fi shows of all time. Jam-packed with brilliant performances, compelling twists and turns, and a well-built mystery, Redditors argued that "the first season is a true work of art" and that its finale gave one of "the most chilling" moments in TV history. Sadly, reception to its later seasons is often quite divided.
5 'Heroes' (2006-2010)
On the day of a solar eclipse, numerous people around the world discover they have somehow developed super-human abilities. This show tracks their individual lives as they try to cope with their newly-found powers. Eventually, their stories intertwine as they try to prevent a devastating explosion in New York City.
Based on the comic that took an interesting spin on superheroes, Heroes hooked audiences with their realistic and gritty portrayal of extraordinary events. For many fans like u/BurstEDO, season one was "the high point of the series," given how it brilliantly captured the perfect levels of "mystery, suspense, and excitement" — the things that its other seasons seemed to lack.
6 'Desperate Housewives' (2004-2012)
After Mary Alice Young (Brenda Strong), a seemingly perfect housewife, takes her own life, her closest friends of Wisteria Lane not only try to investigate the reason behind her death, but they also try to cope with the secrets and truths that unfold.
As a show that placed numerous badass women to the forefront, fans of Desperate Housewives like u/Tyrone7570 "loved the humor and darkness of the first season." Its theatrics and almost "soapy" quality made the show fun and unique, but its treatment of real human struggles kept it grounded and poignant. It was only in later seasons where the show became an apparent "gossipy overdone mess."
7 'Game of Thrones' (2011-2019)
Set in the magical realm of Westeros, the sudden death of King Robert Baratheon (Mark Addy) sparks a fight between nine noble houses as each stake a claim to rule the seven kingdoms and sit on the Iron Throne.
Despite its controversial ending, fans of Game of Thrones typically agree on how brilliant this fantasy show began. With compelling character arcs, a rich story world, and shocking main character deaths — fans like u/djm19 believe that the show's first season shined because it was so "self-contained." It was easy to track the different narratives and characters, whereas, in later seasons, things became a lot more convoluted and a little extreme for some viewers.
8 'Prison Break' (2005-2017)
Lincoln Burrows (Dominic Purcell) has been sentenced to prison and is on death row for a crime he did not commit. Michael Scofield (Wentworth Miller) is his younger brother with an escape plan. The only issue - it requires landing himself in prison.
Where Prison Break's narrative setting is relatively extreme, the show unraveled as a compelling character-driven story that held a lot of heart and kept fans at the edge of their seats. Unfortunately, many believed that things went downhill after season one with its draggy plot points, as mentioned by u/pgrily, who believes that the showrunners simply "milked the cash cow" until "it died a slow death." Yikes.
9 'Arrested Development' (2003-2019)
Following the lives of the Bluth family, the level-headed son, Michael (Jason Bateman), is charged with taking over the family affairs after his father is sent to prison. Unfortunately for Michael, the rest of his dysfunctional family lavishes on their wealthy and extravagant lifestyles - making his job only harder.
Many comedies usually need time to adjust and find their rhythm, but for Arrested Development, this was not the case. With genuine laugh-out-loud moments from its great cringe comedy, smart dialogue, and an interesting establishment of character dynamics — season one was "truly one of a kind" for fans like u/TheTrotters as it was unlike any other comedy series that usually has "first seasons that audiences should skip."
10 True Detective (2014-2019)
Structured as an anthology crime series, the first season follows Louisiana detectives Rust Cohle (Matthew McConaughey) and Marty Hart (Woody Harrelson) investigating the bizarre ritualistic murder of Dora Lange. Seventeen years later, the two must revisit the case as they face several unsolved crimes.
Where this series holds an advantage by being a contained narrative, many fans of True Detective can't help but compare the various seasons; and according to a deleted user, there's no competition. The brilliant writing of the dark crime story and the strong chemistry between McConaughey and Harrison made season one "the best TV [they've] ever watched." The user doesn't deny the greatness of the other seasons; however, for them, "everything pales in comparison."